♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... woman: two retiring executives turn their focus to greyhounds, giving these former race dogs a real chance to win. a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your purpose, and the way you give back.

life well planned. erika: i love seeing interns succeed, i love seeing them come back and join the engagement teams and seeing where they go from there, i get to watch their personal growth, it makes my heart happy. (laughs) ♪ ♪ narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation, the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. announcer: and now, bbc news. hello, i'm ben brown and this is the context here on bbc news. and tonight we are reporting on the resignation of the head of the office for budget responsibility, the government's economic forecaster. after that extraordinary leak in advance of last week's budget. i understand from messages passed to me there has been an event

the chair of the obr has resigned. that's what i understand from messages passed to me. it was extraordinary watching the budget coverage before the budget came out, with all of that information going into the public domain. rachel reeves is using richard hughes, the former head of the obr, as a human shield. the fact is this is now turned into a political crisis for the prime minister and his chancellor. chancellor. so richard hughes, the head of the obr, has stepped down, taking, he says, full responsibility for that accidental leaking of the organisation's report into the budget ahead of the chancellor's statement last week. his departure prompts more calls from the conservatives for rachel reeves herself to step down over claims that she misled the public on the state of the

nation's finances ahead of her budget. we'll be getting full analysis on all of this and more in the political context, with nick watt coming up very shortly. also on the programme, as the us special envoy prepares to head to moscow after talks with the ukrainians, we'll be discussing what role europe is playing in the current diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war in ukraine. as two former heads of the uk special forces are accused of suppressing evidence of war crimes. we'll be hearing from a former british diplomat who's based, who was based in afghanistan and later on luigi mangione is back in court. we'll be getting the latest on that case live from new york. so let us start then with that news that the head of the office for budget responsibility, richard hughes, has resigned less than a week after details of the budget were leaked. almost an hour before the chancellor of the

exchequer herself had even got to her feet in the house of commons today, a report into that leak found the publication was accidental but admitted it was the worst mistake in the obr's 15 year history. mr hughes said he took full responsibility for the mistake. but the leader of the conservative party, kemi badenoch, accused the chancellor of using mr hughes as a human shield to deflect from the growing questions over her own position and around whether rachel reeves actually misled the public over the state of the nation's finances. ahead of her budget, both prime minister and the chancellor have denied accusations that they gave an overly pessimistic assessment of the economy in order to raise taxes. our economics editor, faisal islam has this report. a shock resignation for a very specific reason. richard hughes, head of the critically important independent budget forecaster carrying the can for the extraordinary early leak on the morning of the budget, as he

indicated to the bbc that evening, you could see that there may be a route for some sort of resignations here. whatever the whatever the decisions of the chancellor and the treasury committee are, i will accept them. in his letter of resignation today, richard hughes said the inadvertent early dissemination of our economic and fiscal outlook on the 26th of november was a technical but serious error. i have therefore decided it is in the best interest of the obr for me to resign as its chair and take full responsibility for an internal review revealed dozens of attempts from early on budget morning, even before she lifted the famous red box to access the forecast on the web before it was accessed 43 times by people guessing a hidden web address for 38 minutes an hour before the actual budget speech. it was called the worst failing in the obr's 15 year history. and it happened once back in march 2nd. that was a really bad mistake and it was extraordinary watching the budget coverage before the budget came out. with all of that information going into the

public domain. but i don't think that changes the fact that that richard hughes was an effective chair of the obr, that this is a difficult time for the obr to lose its head. mind blowing. i mean, it's a terrible sort of end to all the speculation, if you like, that we've been going through and the build-up i think i need a red box. i can deliver the budget now. ultimately, richard hughes accepted responsibility for a technical error that allowed the rest of the world to know the contents of the budget early. but there were wider tensions around this budget, with some labour figures saying the obr was too restrictive for the government's economic ambition. faisal islam, bbc news. with me now is newsnight's political editor nick watt. so richard hughes fallen on his sword today. just remind us of this. i mean, a technical error, as faisal was saying, but a disastrous error at the same time. yeah. i mean, it is only fair that a chancellor should be able to shape a budget. it's

the most important thing the chancellor does all year, and it's one of the most important things the government does. they're doing difficult things because in this budget they're increasing our taxes. and it's only fair that a chancellor should be able to shape the arguments for why they're doing it. rachel reeves ability to do that was basically severely undermined with the leak of this report, because it was all the main budget measures were there, as pfizer was saying, just give me a red box. i could now deliver this budget. why specifically did richard hughes resign? well, it's two words in the report commissioned by the obr. there were systemic issues. so this wasn't a fat finger. it wasn't a cyber attack. it was a structural way that the obr handles and publishes these reports. that goes back some time. they basically put it in a lay by on their website, which it turns out if you're really clever, you could access it. so that's why he resigned. but we'll come to this in a minute. ben. it was very clear i was in the commons chamber when james

murray, who's the chancellor's deputy, was taking questions. i was just before just there before he was informed. he made argument after argument about how bad this was. it was very clear that richard hughes had no support amongst ministers. yeah. and so let's just talk about the political implications of all of this because i mean, yes, it was a technical error, but kemi badenoch, the opposition leader, is saying that the government are using richard hughes as a kind of political shield to protect rachel reeves, who's under pressure herself accused of misleading everybody during her budget. that's right. so accusations that at that famous downing street press conference in the morning of the 4th of november that the chancellor was playing up the difficult elements of what the obr was telling them and not playing up the sort of cosier, easier elements that meant that she wouldn't need to raise taxes eventually. so an enormous amount of pressure on the chancellor right now and essentially what the conservatives and reform uk are saying is, you know, watch out about scapegoating richard hughes. so the treasury are

very annoyed with the obr, so they will be no doubt pleased he's gone. douglas alexander, the scotland secretary, talking about it was inevitable that he had to go. but the difficult potential political pressure for the chancellor is it does it look like she's rather pleased that this is happening? so we're focusing on the obr and not focusing on her. nick, we will talk to you again later because nick will be back in a short while with the political context here on bbc news. now ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky has been in paris today for talks with his french counterpart emmanuel macron and the start of another week of intense diplomatic efforts aimed at ending russia's war in ukraine. the two leaders talked for several hours with the british prime minister, sir keir starmer, and about a dozen other european leaders also joining them on the phone. well, after the meeting, mr zelensky said russia must not be rewarded for invading ukraine and that his priorities during any peace talks are

maintaining sovereignty and ensuring strong security guarantee. war should not become a profitable business or that others would not want to repeat such actions. that is why we take principled positions on sanctions, on accountability for war crimes, on the legal status of our territories currently occupied by russian forces on russian assets and on the obligation of reconstruction. the aggressor must pay for the aggression. the stronger the world's united stance on these points, the more secure and lasting peace will be. president zelensky there. well, earlier on in miami, american and ukrainian officials failed to bridge the gaps between them ahead of the next trip to moscow on tuesday. by donald trump's envoy, steve witkoff. the sticking points are said to be russia's continuing demand for legal recognition of territory in the east that it has seized. meanwhile, in brussels, european union defence ministers gathered for a meeting with the war in ukraine high on their agenda as well.

speaking to reporters, the eu's foreign policy chief daniel gallas warned of the risk that these talks could ramp up pressure on ukraine to make concessions. all the pressure will be put on the weaker side because that is the easier way to stop this war. when ukraine surrenders. but this is not in anybody's interest, not in the interest of ukraine, not in the interest of european union also not in the interest of the global overall security. daniel gallas there. well, at the white house, press secretary karoline leavitt was asked how close us officials think a deal could be. this was her response. i think the administration feels very optimistic. obviously you've seen, steve, that the president's entire team, including special envoy witkoff and secretary rubio and the vice president and the president himself, secretary hegseth as well, have been working so hard on this effort and they all really want to see

this war come to an end. and so just yesterday, sunday, i believe that was yesterday. they had very good talks with the ukrainians in florida. and now, of course, special envoy witkoff is on his way to russia. this is sort of the shuttle diplomacy that you've seen from this administration play out where we speak equally with both sides. we've put points on paper. those points have been very much refined. but as for the details, i will let the negotiators negotiate. but we do feel quite good and we're hopeful that this war can finally come to an end. karoline leavitt there, the white house press secretary. let's speak now to daniel hegedus, who's regional director for central europe at the german marshall fund of the united states. daniel, thank you for being with us. we heard karoline leavitt there saying that steve witkoff on his way to russia. another example of american shuttle diplomacy. but is is the problem with all of this that europe seems to be sidelined and cut out of the whole process? thank you for having me. certainly europe is not part of the american

shuttle diplomacy. but notwithstanding this, i would not underestimate the importance of the european role in this peace negotiations. i think the main difference between the two approaches is that the united states would like to achieve a peace agreement as soon as possible and in full understanding with shaimaa khalil. i think that for that purpose, the white house is ready to exert pressure actually on the victim of this war, ukraine. while the europeans stand for a sustainable and potentially good peace that also takes into account the sovereignty of ukraine and the geopolitical and security interest of both kyiv and actually the european continent. and i think as europeans, this is the approach we need to follow. otherwise actually this peace agreement that the white house is preparing can unfortunately only lead to a temporary ceasefire. there is a perception or an accusation at

least, that the united states and president trump are soft on russia during all of this, soft on president putin. i mean, if that is the case, what does europe need to do to stand up for ukraine? europe stands up for ukraine on an everyday basis. if we take into account, for example, the military and financial support provided for the country, then actually since january of this year, europe fits the bill. obviously it doesn't secure europe actually a place by the negotiating table, but i wouldn't underestimate actually the mid and long-term leverage of the europeans. what we see here is actually an overestimation of the short-term us leverage. but if you take into account what happens if europe is ready to provide a feasible financial framework for ukraine to cover, actually the state budget for 2026, then the ukrainians can resist extortion efforts by the white house. they will be in a

situation that they can continue actually the war. and if the white house is interested in achieving a peace deal as soon as possible, then they will also be in need to alter their approach. please let the kremlin and take more into account also, the legitimate interest of the ukrainian part. well, speaking of the kremlin, steve witkoff, donald trump's envoy, is on his way back there. he's had several trips to talk to mr putin. are you at all confident that that might bear any fruit? we know that mr witkoff is not the only player in washington, dc who is working on these files and state secretary marco rubio obviously has shown much more understanding for the security and geopolitical interests of ukraine and europe. it's not an accident that during the geneva talks, european achieved in partnership with rubio to actually clear out the most pro-russian points of the original 28 point plan and

adopted text that is also acceptable and bearable both for europe and ukraine. we might also assume that the leakage of the original 28 plan and also the recording, which pointed out how, for example, witkoff actually just translated the russian points in this peace plan has something to do with this power clash in washington, dc, potentially between the state department and those parts of the white house who show more understanding for the russian interests than for the interests of the us traditional allies. all right. daniel hegedus, thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. thank you for the opportunity. now a deal has been announced to eliminate tariffs on uk pharmaceutical imports to the united states for three years. in return, the uk will pay more for medicine through the national health service, raising the price threshold for what the nhs will pay for

medicines by 25%. now pharmaceutical exports from the uk to the us were worth more than 1 billion in the 12 months to the end of september of this year, making up more than 17% of all goods exported during that period. our business editor simon jack has more on the details of this agreement. we export about billion worth of medicines to the us every year. it's right up there with cars as one of our most valuable exports. so being tariff free has been welcomed by the industry and by government. in return, the nhs will spend more on medicines and a current volume rebate. they get volume discount rebate they get which they have to pay back to drug companies. that will be capped. it's been a long running dispute with the drug companies. the nhs spends too little, particularly on new medicines and that is actually pushing them out of the uk. and this long running dispute has been galvanised by an angry donald trump, who says the us customers are paying far more

for drugs than anyone does in the uk or the rest of europe and wants to try and bring those prices closer together. we've seen drug companies like astrazeneca, like gsk, like others, spend billions in the us while shutting down operations and cancelling them over here. the hope is that this deal between these three parties will help stem that tide. that is simon jack, our business editor with that report around the bachega here on bbc news. bachega here on bbc news. two

former heads of uk special forces have been accused of suppressing evidence of war crimes. the claims were made at the public inquiry in examining allegations of unlawful killings by the sas in afghanistan. a senior officer who can't be named, who was among the most senior in the special forces, said that he had passed what he called explosive evidence suggesting criminal behaviour to the then

director of special forces in 2011. here's bbc panorama's richard bilton. to investigate allegations of war crimes. bbc panorama has travelled to the furthest corners of afghanistan. we came here to khwaja dard. seven people were killed in this room. the sas claimed four had been shot by insurgent fire, but the high ranking officer told the inquiry how does a long burst of ak-47 fire result in every single member of that room getting a head? it is not plausible and not true. another man was killed here. his brother says he was taken into a room and shot. a room and shot. the high ranking officer told the

inquiry he was concerned about the number of times detainees were taken back inside buildings. we are talking about war crimes. we are talking about taking detainees back on target and executing them. the officer said he had been so concerned by sass behaviour in afghanistan, he commissioned a review. the results indicated war crimes, he told the inquiry. two former heads of uk special forces knew about allegations of unlawful killings but failed to act. bruce holder is a former head of the military prosecution service. the revelations most recently come from an individual set at quite a high level who was present in the office of the director of director of special forces, was an assistant chief of staff working in headquarters there. and therefore what he has to

say is something that has to be listened to and taken very seriously. we contacted both former heads of uk special forces. one didn't respond. the other refuted the accusations and said he would provide a comprehensive response. in his evidence to the inquiry in due course, the witness told the inquiry he was not against the special forces. i am fiercely loyal, fiercely loyal to uksf. i believe that loyalty is about doing the right thing, not necessarily the easy thing. the ministry of defence said the government was fully committed to supporting the independent inquiry, but it would wait for the outcome before commenting further. richard bilton, bbc news. we're going to discuss this now with arthur snell, who was a senior civilian adviser working with the uk forces in

helmand province in afghanistan in 2010. he is now an author and foreign policy adviser. how concerning do you think all these allegations are? and indeed the claims of a cover up as well? well, i. think that what is concerning is that there were originally, you know, one or two apparently isolated incidents and the more that the investigations continue, the more it does feel as if there might be a bit of a pattern. so i think it's impossible to say that this is a couple of rogue individual soldiers. right. and in terms of the leadership and the claims that we've heard about possible cover ups, are you concerned about that? are you worried about that? well, i think yeah. if it seems and again obviously i don't want to prejudge the inquiry, but if it seems that there has been something of a systemic nature, then this is clearly a leadership problem. and by definition trying to cover it up is not the way to deal with

this. you know, it needs to come out into the open and the lessons need to be learned from it. yeah. i mean, as i said, you were in helmand province. just give us an idea of what it was like there at that time when you were there quite a few years ago now, but at a time when the british army were there as well. a very tense time, a very difficult time for the british units who were there. well, that's absolutely right. i mean, the first point to note is that there was a very high casualty rate, not not necessarily special forces, but for example, up in sangin in the north of the province. you know, probably the most dangerous place on earth at the time. and british soldiers were losing their lives on almost a daily basis there. it was also a time of a surge of forces into afghanistan and into helmand. so the british forces had been, if you like, backed up with a major component of the us marine corps. and i think there may have been some pressure on the british military to prove their

capabilities, particularly with their american allies there in the province with them. and i wonder if that drives some of the decisions that ended up being taken. i mean, it was a pretty terrifying time for, well, for everybody there. but i suppose for those british soldiers who were there. absolutely. as i say, you know, on a daily basis, we were tragically, you know, see a loss of life. and it was an extremely dangerous, highly kinetic, unpredictable environment. but clearly, of course, that doesn't necessarily justify some of the reports that we're now learning about as a result of this inquiry. this inquiry is taking its time. it's. some people have criticised that and said actually it's too long, too lengthy, especially for those who are accused of alleged war crimes, potentially. yeah, i've heard those accusations. and you know, there does seem to be a tendency for inquiries of this nature to take a long time. i'm not a lawyer. it's not really my job to understand why that should be. equally clearly. you don't want to rush

jobs. extremely serious allegations have been made and i think it's very important that the role of leadership is understood in all of this because again, i think there is the risk that people lower down the command chain might end up being, you know, targeted, perhaps rightly, for having committed certain infractions. but we need to understand what the environment was, why they may have thought that this was allowed, or at least that they could get away with it. all right. good to talk to you. arthur snell there. thank you very much. he was a senior civilian adviser working with british forces in afghanistan back in 2010. now in washington, first lady melania trump has unveiled this year's white house christmas decorations under the theme home is where the heart is. the decorations include a painting depicting the assassination attempt on president trump himself in pennsylvania last year, and a white house made

entirely of gingerbread in the state dining room. meanwhile, here in london, the prime minister, sir keir starmer, has been turning on the lights of the downing street christmas tree along with his wife lady victoria. stay with us after the break. we're going to have. as promised, the political context with more on the budget and all its aftermath with nick watt. we'll be discussing the resignation of the head of the obr over mistakenly publishing the details of the budget ahead of the chancellor's announcement. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation, the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad.

♪ ♪ -bbc journalists here in ukraine. -across southern israel. -here in michigan. -beirut. -china. -italy. -russia. -paris. narrator: wherever news breaks, we're there. news anchor: live from washington, this is "bbc news." announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... woman: two retiring executives turn their focus to greyhounds, giving these former race dogs a real chance to win. a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your purpose, and the way you give back.